Problem with Vistaril.

[mojoh]

I have been taking vistaril to combat anxiety issues and ran in to couple of issues:
1. For the first week or two after taking a pill in the morning I am basicly useless untill later in the afternoon. I mean it's just overwelming drowsiness.
2. Once I stopped taking Vistaril I started expiriencing REAL allergies that I NEVER had before. They went away after several weeks of not taking medication.
My question is, does Vistaril effect immune system permanantly if taken for a long time? It really does work for anxiety, and drowsiness is not that big of a deal(it goes away after several weeks) - but I definetly do not want to add allergies to my current list of issues.

[webslave]

Vistaril is an old fashioned antihistamine that can cause drowsiness if not titrated slowly. I have not heard of a rebound effect with allergies as you describe, but I would think that perhaps the Vistaril had masked some allergies for you, ones previously controlled by your won system, and once you discontinued the Vistaril they became apparent for a while. I have never heard of long term effects of Vistaril, but I do know that some people have had to stop taking it because of side effects.

I presume you've already Googled this issue?

You are taking it for anxiety, you say? Have you tried other anxiolytic medications?

[mojoh]

Other medications I have tried were either Xanax-like that work but are extemly addictive. I have also tried anti depressants - they don't work and do cause serious side effects. Vistaril does work well and the drowsy effects go away after a week or two of taking it, but I definetly do not want to ruin my immune system or pick up a habit...